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Grand Mercure combines Accor’s extensive China and international hotel experience and significant distribution infrastructure with products and services customised to the needs of the upscale Chinese travellers.
Known in Chinese as 美爵(Mei Jue), each hotel within the Grand Mercure network in China will sport the new Chinese identity, reflecting the brand’s commitment to developing products and services tailored to its Chinese clientele.
Grégoire Champetier, Accor chief marketing officer (pictured below right) said with Grand Mercure the group has demonstrated its ability to have more flexible brands, which are locally relevant.
“Accor has tailored the Grand Mercure brand to better suit the Chinese clientele’s needs, in a strategic country for the group and in the context of a booming upscale domestic travel business,” he added.
In each Grand Mercure hotel in China 12 brand signatures will be installed – conveyed through ceremonies that exemplify strong aspects of Chinese culture and blend in elements of European influence (reflecting the heritage of the Mercure brand).
Each guest is given a personalised and authentic welcome, which reflects the hotel’s location. In Shanghai, for example, employees will use the local Shanghainese language and guests will be welcomed by team members wearing Qipao, a traditional elegant evening dress. All team members will be identified with name badges bearing firstly Chinese characters, followed by a pinyin transliteration, enabling employees to use their given names rather than adopting foreign equivalents.
The other brand signatures are:
- Guests can achieve mental and physical well-being through daily Tai-chi sessions, upscale lavender-scented bathroom amenities in guest bathrooms and complimentary head and shoulder massage services for guests staying on premium floors.
- An emphasis has been placed on catering to the expectations of Chinese customers. For example, each Grand Mercure provides an extensive range of local and imported tea, delivered in an engaging manner to encourage guest participation. Additionally, a selection of Cognac is available in the hotel bars alongside a wine selection that provides both local and imported choices.
- Each Grand Mercure offers a special 24-hour congee menu providing guests with home comforts no matter what time they may be hungry. Beyond this, a large congee selection with extensive condiments plays a big part of the breakfast at Grand Mercure. Knowing that Chinese cuisine is a priority for guests of Grand Mercure, local specialties and wide-ranging national dishes feature most extensively on the menus throughout the various outlets in the hotels.
- To establish connections with the area surrounding each hotel, Grand Mercure invites guests to participate in discovery walks, to see the city from new perspectives and gain insights to local culture and customs. In addition, hotels will invite local artisans to link visitors with the arts and to provide a bridge between communities.
- In every guestroom are an extensive tea selection and a welcome gift pack of macaroons to showcase both the hotel’s China focus and its European heritage.
